Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Alex was happy to see Ruby's face look at his sketch in awe. Like smoke swept by the wind, his irritation evaporated and vanished just by hearing Ruby praise his portrait. Seeing Ruby's smiling face and admiring the painting he gave Alex happiness.

Maybe that's love, makes your mood change fast. You can get irritated and jealous for minor reasons but also pleased for small reasons. Happiness doesn't always need big things if we've fallen in love. Even little things can make us happy all time long. Like Alex, who keeps smiling all day long just because Ruby praises him.

***

The breeze blew and blew strands of Natty's straight brown hair. Her bright brown eyes were reading a novel while listening to music through the earphones that stuck to her ears. She also sat under a shady tree in the school garden.

She was ready with her basketball shirt because she was supposed to be practicing basketball right now with the school team, but her practice schedule was canceled. She didn't want to go home yet, so Natty relaxed for a while enjoying love music and read her favorite novel.

Mrs. Gale, who was walking towards the art room to teach art, saw Natty sitting back and forth alone. She smiled faintly, then went over to Natty. Natty seemed so focused on the novel she read that she didn't notice that Mrs. Gale was standing and looking at her with a meaningful smile.

Mrs. Gale also without hesitation sat beside Natty, then took one earphone that stuck to Natty's ear and put it on. Natty, who was busy reading her novel, glanced at Mrs. Gale, who was sitting beside her. She's a little surprised, but more than that her gaze becomes fixed on the side of Mrs. Gale's face, which looks so charming. when she turned her head and looked at Natty with a sweet smile. It made Natty speechless. She's been locked in by Mrs. Gale's intoxicating charm.

Natty who felt nervous took off the earphones She was wearing and dragged her body away. Her eyes trembled, but her mouth remained silent. She was confused and uneasy as she glanced at her art teacher. Mrs. Gale smiled at Natty's nervous face.

“What are you doing sitting here alone?” asked Mrs. Gale with a faint smile.

“Nothing, basketball practice has been canceled and I still don't want to go home.” Said Natty.

“Instead of you wasting your time doing nothing, how about you join the painting club?” replied Mrs. Gale with a big smile

Natty didn't have chance to answer, but Mrs. Gale took Natty's hand and led her to the paint room. Everything happened so that Natty didn't have chance to think about anything. Once her mind regained her senses, she was already in the paint room and sitting in front of the white canvas that stretched wide, waiting for Natty to fill it with oil paint.

Actually, Natty was still confused by everything, she didn't understand why she had to be in the paint room instead of in the park waiting for Helena to finish her cheerleading practice. But then the wind changed direction and now her eyes were on Mrs. Gale, the young art teacher who became the tutor for the painting club. Compared to her class, Mrs. Gale looks freer and happier when teaching at the painting club. It also caught Natty's attention.

“As I always say in class, oil painting is not just about drawing the same shape as the object we see. But painting is one way to express feelings. So, I want you to paint this time to convey what you are feeling. Whatever it is you just have to look into your heart and draw it onto the canvas in front of you. “ Said Mrs. Gale.

Even though Natty did not enter this club on her terms and before that she had no intention of learning to paint. But Mrs. Gale's words opened her views, she started wanting to learn to paint. She closed her eyes and tried to find out what her heart was feeling right now.

Whether it's because she continues to draw only Helena during painting class or because only Helena is always on her mind. Until she closed her eyes, even though she could only see Helena. And just as she felt doubtful, her eyes caught up with Mrs. Gale's. She took her brush and started drawing. She was so focused on her painting that she didn't realize that Mrs. Gale was staring at her right now.

Helena, who had just finished her cheerleading practice, could see Natty, who was painting through the wide-open door while she was passing. Helena stopped and stared at Natty's face, who was painting. She smiled because this was the first time she had seen Natty so serious while doing something.

Then her eyes turned to Mrs. Gale, who was staring at Natty with a faint smile. Helena looked at her art teacher with suspicion. She felt that her teacher might have fallen in affection with her best friend. Helena felt furious because she found it hard to believe how a teacher could like her students, when they were both girls.

Love between teacher and student alone is very disgusting to her, a female teacher who likes her female student, it's like a double or multiple of the word disgusting. The worst thing to do. She also thought her teacher could trap her friend.

With various delusions, Helena made herself panic. Even she who was already scared went straight into the art room without knocking the door. And with her hands on her shoulders, she called Natty without caring all eyes were on her, Mrs. Gale, who looked at her with a surprised expression and a little annoyed because she came and started a scene in class.

“Hey, Natty. Let's go home and eat something on the way home. “ Said Helena while putting her hands on her hips to make it sound tough.

Natty could only look at Helena with her eyes wide open. She was confused and surprised because Helena came without notification and caught people's attention. Natty was so shocked that she could only stare at Helena doing nothing like a fool.

“Come on, hurry out!” Said Helena, who could not stand Natty's silence.

Helena went straight to Natty, reached her hand and went her out. Helena was very upset because Natty did not respond to her request as as usual. Once out of-the-art room, Helena took Natty to the garden and let go of her hand, so they could talk a little. He was nervous and her eyes shook as she stared at Helena. Helena was oblivious to anything and just lost in her own irritated feelings.

“ What is wrong?” asked Natty as she looked at Helena with a look as if she hoped that Helena would say something.

“You told you don't have time to join the club”, why are you painting there now? “ Asked Helena with an annoyed face and this made Natty even more hopeful.

“Basketball practice was canceled. Mrs. Gale also took me there because she saw me alone in the park. “ Said Natty.

Natty also looked at Helena's face, as if she expected Helena to tell something. Because she hopes that Helena will tell she doesn't like it when Natty is close to Mrs. Gale because it means that Helena is jealous and jealousy is a sign of love.